Mamata must worry: BJP gearing up to challenge TMC in Bengal Assembly poll

West Bengal politics has witnessed a paradigm shift post-Lok Sabha poll 2014. The BJP's stunning performance has shocked the political pundits in the state who were predicting there wasn't any hope for the rightwing party. The party has not only won 2 Lok Sabha seats but also saw a jump in its vote-share to 17 per cent that stood at mere 6 per cent in the 2009 LS polls. BJP's success in the Trinamool Congress stronghold proves that its organizational strength has certainly seen an improvement and the party must capitalise on it.

After a recording a thumping success in the Lok Sabha election, Bengal BJP's membership has risen by over two lakhs. Also in the last six months, the party's minority cell and women's wing have witnessed an almost 50 per cent increase in membership.

With every passing day the party is seeing a huge outflow of workers from the ruling Trinamool Congress, and opposition CPM and Congress joining the BJP, which is emerging as the main opposition party in West Bengal. Moreover, Aam Aadmi Party's Bengal unit has already merged itself with the BJP.

BJP emerging as a party to reckon with in West Bengal's politics

This shift in Bengal's politics could be considered as a major achievement for the BJP which has never been a force in state's politics, traditionally. The party's influence was limited to a few pockets of the State. The party was struggling hard to bring new members into its fold. In 2010, the Bengal BJP had membership of just 90,000. Today, the party's membership has climbed to almost six lakhs and counting. Millions of people from all walks of life are also in touch with the party to seek its membership.

Voters are readily accepting the BJP as a main opposition party, a space which was once adorned by the CPM in Mamata Didi's era. As per political experts, after the demise of Jyoti Basu and with declining support base, the leaderless Bengal CPM is merely playing the role of ‘dummy opposition' and hence the space for opposition in the State has been vacant since long. Now, the BJP has occupied that space.

The rise of BJP in Bengal has compelled Mamata Banerjee to join hands with her bête noir - the CPM. Even though, she fought against the CPM's ideology for four decades. The rise of BJP in the State has left Mamata Banerjee in utter panic and fear.

Reason's for BJP's surge in Bengal

The first and fore most reason for BJP's surge in the politically active state of Bengal is the Modi-wave. Emergence of Narendra Modi as a man of development in the minds of youth has certainly worked for the party.

BJP’s rise in Bengal has left TMC, Left in utter panic and fear

Mamata Banerjee's politics of appeasement and vote bank politics has irked the locals against the TMC government. The Government chooses to stay soft on influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, who pose grave threat to the demographic structure of West Bengal. Rising incidents of vandalism by TMC men, insensitive and outrageous statements from TMC workers, MLAs and MPs has also distanced the people from Mamata government. Mamata was voted to power as an alternative to Left. But, the Mamata government seems to be repeating the same old tricks practiced by CPM. This has contributed to the growth of BJP in the State.

With the change in political dynamics in Bengal, the party hopes the people, especially youth, in West Bengal are looking at the BJP as the real alternative to Mamata and address their concerns. Under CPM's decades of misrule the people of Bengal have been facing the problem of acute unemployment.

They are hoping that Modi and the BJP would bring in industries, and stop mass brain drain from Bengal. As the incidents of rising atrocities against the BJP workers by TMC cadre have increased, the party is also getting moral support from the people. This has also sent positive signals across the BJP cadre that they have created panic in the opposition's mind.

Speaking to Niti Central, West Bengal BJP president Rahul Sinha said, "Bengal is sure to witness achchhey din. The intelligentsia of Bengal has started realising this fact: That the State can't afford to have a Government which can't deliver. BJP is now the only real alternative in Bengal. The day is not far when a BJP Government in the State will be a reality."

All this shows that the party has already started planning for the 2016 Assembly polls and hopes to see a direct battle between TMC and the BJP. All that the BJP needs is to continue this momentum.